drag one's heels

verb

Synonym of drag one's feet.

Similar
drag one's feetprocrastinatestallshillyshallydilly-dallydillydally
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Meanings

verbdrag one's heels (third-person singular simple present drags one's heels, present participle dragging one's heels, simple past and past participle dragged one's heels)

present singular third person drags one's heels · participle present dragging one's heels · participle past dragged one's heels · past dragged one's heels

  1. Synonym of drag one's feet.

    The Campaign for Borders Rail is considering commissioning its own professional research to support the case for extending the Edinburgh-Tweedbank railway to Hawick and Carlisle, amid concerns that public bodies seem to be dragging their heels.

    2022 March 23, “Network News: Private research to give a boost to Borders campaign”, in RAIL, number 953, page 23

    Synonyms: drag one's feet

Synonyms & antonyms

verbSynonym of drag one's feet.

Similar
drag one's feet

More synonyms by meaning

verbpostpone doing what one should be doing

Similar
procrastinatestalldrag one's feetshillyshallydilly-dallydillydally
Broader
delay
Also see
dilly-dallydrag one's feetprocrastinatestall

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

drag one's heels. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drag%20one's%20heels

MLA

“drag one's heels.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drag%20one's%20heels. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “drag one's heels,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drag%20one's%20heels.

Source: drag one's heels on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.